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Mother guilty of daughter murders | Mother guilty of daughter murders |
(40 minutes later) | |
A mother who stabbed her daughters to death at her home in Cambridgeshire has been found guilty of murdering them. | A mother who stabbed her daughters to death at her home in Cambridgeshire has been found guilty of murdering them. |
Rekha Kumari-Baker, 41, admitted the killings but denied murder on the grounds of diminished responsibility. | Rekha Kumari-Baker, 41, admitted the killings but denied murder on the grounds of diminished responsibility. |
Davina Baker, 16, and Jasmine Baker, 13, were killed with a kitchen knife in a frenzied attack in 2007. | |
A jury at Cambridge Crown Court took about 30 minutes to reach a verdict of guilty on both counts of murder. She will be sentenced on Tuesday. | |
The court heard Davina was stabbed 39 times at the house in Stretham, on 13 June 2007. | The court heard Davina was stabbed 39 times at the house in Stretham, on 13 June 2007. |
'Something terrible' | 'Something terrible' |
Kumari-Baker, a hotel worker, then attacked her younger daughter in similar fashion. | Kumari-Baker, a hotel worker, then attacked her younger daughter in similar fashion. |
The jury was told that after killing the children, she got dressed and twice went out in her car before ringing a friend to say: "I have done something terrible." | The jury was told that after killing the children, she got dressed and twice went out in her car before ringing a friend to say: "I have done something terrible." |
The court heard there was "much contention" between the defendant and her ex-husband over the care and custody of their children. | The court heard there was "much contention" between the defendant and her ex-husband over the care and custody of their children. |
Jurors were told one theory was that Ms Kumari-Baker wanted to "wreak havoc" on her ex-husband David Baker by killing the girls. | |
Stephanie Franklin, the vice-principal of Davina's college, gave evidence and said Kumari-Baker told her older daughter "I wish you were dead" during a meeting with teachers in 2004. | |
She added that Ms Kumari-Baker could be aggressive and dictatorial. | |
Prosecutor John Farmer said Kumari-Baker bought the murder weapon at an Asda supermarket in Cambridge on 11 June 2007. | Prosecutor John Farmer said Kumari-Baker bought the murder weapon at an Asda supermarket in Cambridge on 11 June 2007. |
He said she had woken early on 13 June and then gone to the girls' bedrooms and murdered them. | He said she had woken early on 13 June and then gone to the girls' bedrooms and murdered them. |
The jury heard Kumari-Baker's GP had not found any evidence of mental health problems when she was diagnosed with "reactive stress with mild depressive features" in 2003. |